Overview

Brief Summary

WhyReef - Lifestyle

The life of the bluespotted jawfish revolves around its precious burrow. At night it covers the entrance, and every morning rebuilds it. It lines the burrow with pebbles and shells to make sure it is extra-strong. Sometimes, it will even steal parts of other jawfishes’ burrows to improve its own! It spends its days around its burrow because it provides excellent protection from predators.

Females and non-courting males with orange-brown head and dark brown to blackish body, covered with relatively large blue spots; courting males white anteriorly and blackish on posterior half with large brown spot on anterior part of dorsal fin; no obvious color inside mouth; small juveniles yellow with blue spots.

Maximum size about 10 cm.

Habitat: found in sandy rubble areas in colonies of up to several hundred fish with a minimal spacing of about 1m between individuals; each fish constructs a lid over their burrow entrance at dusk and rebuilds the opening each morning.

Depth: 5-25 m.

The lower 3/4 of the Gulf of California and the Revillagigedo Islands.

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WhyReef - Fun Facts

The bluespotted jawfish is well-named, because its mouth is an all-purpose tool. Very, very large compared to the rest of its body, its mouth is of course used for eating, but also to scoop up sand, coral rubble, and broken shells to make a hole, or burrow, to live in. The bluespotted jawfish also uses its mouth to raise its kids: the males hold the eggs in their mouth until they hatch.

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The Bluespotted Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti) has been assessed as Least Concern. This species is endemic to Mexico and is considered abundant in many parts of its range. There are no known major threats to this species, and currently no indication of population decline from its collection for the aquarium trade.

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Management

Conservation Actions

The Bluespotted Jawfish may occur in a number of marine protected areas in the eastern tropical Pacific region (WDPA 2006), and it is protected by law in Mexico. Given its collection for the aquarium trade, population trends should be monitored.

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Wikipedia

Blue-spotted jawfish

Opistognathus rosenblatti, the blue-spotted jawfish, is a species of jawfish native to the Gulf of California. It is an inhabitant of reefs where it is found in large colonies at depths of around 12 metres (39 ft). This species hides in its burrow at night, completely sealing the entrance. Every morning it rebuilds the burrow entrance. It can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.[2]